Below are 8 books I've really enjoyed so far this year: 5 photo books, 2 books of woodcuts, and one non-fiction selection. Buying books through affiliate links helps fund more book research on this blog. If you're an avid reader, feel free to stay in touch on goodreads.com.

Of Walking In Ice

On the extra features of the Fata Morgana DVD, Herzog says Of Walking in Ice is more important than any of his films. An incredibly intense 68 page winter walking journey from Munich to Paris, and into the mind of one of the great heroes of cinema.

Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts

Lynd Ward's woodcut novels are a revelation. These wordless, graphic novels from the 1920s-1930s are one picture per page created by carving a story out of darkness with hand tools on a piece of wood. A must-see for designers and comic book aficionados.

Protest Photographs

Protest Photographs is a huge book of large format wide angle portraits of working people in their homes in the 1960s and 70s. Not only are the photos intense, Chauncey Hare's transformation from engineer to photographer to psychologist is a spellbinding story.

Winogrand 1964

Yes, Winogrand 1964 went out of print very quickly and now sells for $300. And now after having to return the copy I borrowed through interlibrary loan, this will be the most expensive photo book I own. It's that good.

For Now is the result of Michael Almereyda's year long foray into the Eggleston archives, and he did a superb job.

Shooting Gallery

Number 7 in Erik Kessels' in almost every picture series, Shooting Gallery is a series of photos of one woman, triggered by a shooting game at a fun fair. From age 16 to age 88, with a gap during WWII, she hits the target and gets a portrait. It's the history of her life, and the history of 20th century photography all in one. Pure magic.

Fortress Marin

Sleeper alert. If you live the Bay Area and have explored Mount Tamalpais, Tom Killion's Fortress Marin is definitely worth a look, and typically available for under $1 used + shipping.